April 4, 2006

Maybe The "Daddy Wars" Are Really Just About Quinny vs. Bugaboo...

If that's the case, then maybe I'll be Jane's Defense Weekly or something. Of course, if I actually sold strollers on the site, I could be an old-skool arms dealer like Adnan Khashoggi, selling to all sides and hoping the war goes on.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vasquez is a dad of a 2.5 year old daughter with one on the way:

Today I got stopped by a couple who wanted to see our 2006 Quinny WagTail Topline Buzz. [bought from babytrader.co.uk]

The one thing we did agree was that although your site was the best resource for Quinny vs Bugaboo comparison and comments on the web..maybe some pics could add some fresh fuel to the fire of Quinny vs Bug talk........he he he.

Pictures was something I wished I had so I could compare side to side back
then. So here are some pics and comments on the new Quinny and the older Bugaboo
(Black).

PRO:
Love the Ride - no comparison
Love the Handling -
Love the Fabric and everything fits just right the first time
Excellent customer service on the two occasions I had problems with Bug
(they sent replacements in two days)

CON:
Annoying folding in and out of cabs/cars/in the rain/etc.
Takes too much space on the trunk of cars
Too much effort to fold and unfold

Quinny:

PRO:
Excellent opening and closing with new lock to prevent accidental openings(see attached pic.)
No wheel squeaks that I keep hearing about
Very good ride and handling, not great though.
Love the look.
Less space on trunk of cars compared to Bug
The extra pack is removable and fits most baby bottles, food jars, wipes and
diapers..enough for my 2.5 yr old.
Finally a shopping basket for the bottom (for about $30 extra)

CON:
Brake is at the botton and requires fiddling to get right (unlike Bug) - see
pic

Things don't fit just right like the bug (major example is their footmuffs)
fabric seems thin and not durable like the bug.
A Bit heavier and wider than the bug.
Back and seat bottom is made of plastic (unlike wood in the bug)
Access to air tire plug is a bit recessive to the inside of the wheel
compared to bug.

Conclusion:
Quinny fits our current lifestyle and we will most likely stay with the
Quinny and part with the Bug after two years of Bugaboo use.
MY selling point is the quick folding and unfolding plus the extra storage.
However, I feel it might not be as durable as the Bug....time will tell as
well as their customer support??

14 Comments

Agreed on all the Quinny cons. So if this is a 60's style cold war, and the Bug is the US, and Quinny is Soviet Russia, is the Mutsy Maoist China then? I still need to get a Freerider (it's got disc brakes!). Speaking of, I just popped over to mutsy.nl, and the Freerider isn't listed anymore. Wha..? Why haven't I heard about this?

[partly because I've been kind of slackive aggressive by not ever posting much about Mutsy, I'd guess... -ed.]

After this comparison, I must say I'm surprised at the conclusion to get a Quinny over a Bug. The pros and cons breakdown seems to clearly place Bugaboo above the Quinny. A little more trunk space doesn't seem like a big enough trade for all the Quinny cons. If I were to read this never having seen or used either, I would want to get a Bug.

[yeah, we'll see if he actually sells the Bug. The man's buying strollers the way some other grups buy vintage sneakers or artfully distressed denim. -ed.]

There were two reasons we got the Quinny: 1) It's different and 2) It's cheaper (so we got a Zapp too). The resale market on these things (Bugs too) is strong enough that we could afford to experiment. As it worked out, we use a sling or pouch way more than the stroller, so the Quinny's faults haven't been enough to warrant taking a trip to Holland to get a Mutsy.

I've got a Bugaboo Chameleon. Although I will agree it takes up a decent amount of space, it's no more than most strollers. I won't agree with his folding issues. Folding it is downright easy after you've played with it for a few minutes.

I used to live in Europe, so I've seen all of these strollers in real life--the Bugaboo, the Mutsy Freerider, the Buzz etc. No doubt about it I'd still choose the Bugaboo. The Freerider base is really wiiide, same with the Buzz. A friend of mine had the Buzz and she constantly struggled to get it through store doorways and aisles. The only other Euro stroller that really caught my eye was the Easywalker (www.easywalker.nl), but too late we bought the bug.

Random stroller observation: I live in Morningside Heights and visited Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Carroll Gardens on Sunday afternoon. It was my first time in the area (lived in Manhattan for 5 years), and I couldn't believe the number of white, upper middle class families with strollers (and a higher ratio of twin strollers than the norm...all those older moms I'm guessing). It was a truly alarming experience. I can understand your lobbying for stroller-free zones.

I just brought the quinny buzz and I can't wait to use. The baby boy is due in late June. I live in Toronto and brought the Buzz and Dreami from Sears Canada. They mentioned that they might be getting the shopping bag but no news on when. Could you let me know where did you get the shopping bag? Thanks in advance.

I have a few things to add to the Buzz vs. Bugaboo discussion. I had Cameleon for a year (imported it from Europe)and I loved everything about it except for the fold. It is not that difficult to fold once you get used to it, but it was just annoying. So, after a long research I decided to go with Quinny Buzz and bought it on ebay from Germany. I got it last week (with the footmuf and shopping basket).

Well, after the first weekend of use, I was rather disappointed :( It does look gorgeous, and I like the way it steers but the shopping basket is so small. I am used to going to the stores and doing my weekly grocery shopping and Buzz is just not made for it. So, I am rethinking right now if I should sell it or not and if I do, I really have no idea what to get instead.
Let me know if you have any ideas.
Thanks!

Dear Ed. -- belated thanks for your advice to call Bugaboo about my broken Bugaboo wheel. You were right: They were marvelous and I got a new wheel for only $30 (why did I think it would cost a couple of hundred bucks?!).

Anyway, I have a couple more questions about my Cameleon, if you don't mind:
1. Why does it seem so heavy compared to the Frog? I know it's probably 1 or 2 pounds more than the Frog but it just feels a lot more than that and I have more trouble lifting it and it seems harder to push than the Frog.

2. What are your thoughts on buying an extra frame for the Cameleon so I can use the bassinet for a newborn while also having the option to use it with the older toddler? Crazy? Profligate? Needless? Bugaboo said they can sell me the frame for US$125...

I've got to say, if i was buying again now i think id buy the bug, much as i love my quinny and the fact that its very unique (topline papillion) i just so fed up with the way it pushes. its almost a year old and for months its creaked, squeaked and made every noise that a pushchair should never ever make, the frame keeps bending and one side is often drooping down because it hasnt clicked in properly.
Also sometimes the front wheel doesnt turn properly and the pram jerks off to the side, its done this once or twice when ive been about to cross a busy road which really doesnt fill me with confidence.
I love the fact that it takes the carseat, and a the dreami, which in itself has problem of its own, and also the fact that it fold so easily but its just so big.
And the brake, well, you dont really wont to get me start on that. rrrrrh
All in all i think, if i could get the bug in the same colour i have my quinny in, id be straight out buying it a new seat and it would be by by quinny.

Big "Con" with the bugaboo (not sure re: quinny) is the Carseat adaptors. Mine do not fit well, and the idea seemed to be that you could glide between car and chassis with a carseat if the baby was asleep. No chance, the instructions state that you should put the adaptors on the seat - how do you do that with a baby placed in it? OK so you can attach them to the chassis first (it won't fold like that) but when you do it is very difficult (is it just mine? I checked with a friend and his is the same) to attach the seat that way. You can't leave the adaptors attached to the seat with the Isofix base anyway. With a big baby (as ours is) and a slightly built mother I can't see it working, we're going to look at the Quinny to see if the car seat aspects work better.

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